1 . Once there was a famine in the town. A rich and kind baker sent some bread to twenty of the poorest children. He said to them, “In this basket there is some bread for you. Each of you can have one loaf every day until the hard days end.”

The impatient children couldn’t wait to gather around the basket. They shouted and fought for the bread because each wished to have the largest loaf. At last they went away without even thanking the good gentleman. But Shirley, a poorly-dressed little girl, did not join them. Instead, she remained standing modestly in the distance. When the other children had left, she took the smallest left in the basket, kissed the gentleman’s hand and went home.

The next day the children were as rude as before. Poor shy Shirley still took the smallest loaf . When she got home, her mother cut the bread open. Many new shining pieces of silver fell out of it. Her mother was very surprised and said, “Take the money back to the good gentleman at once, for it must have got into the loaf by accident. Be quick, Shirley! Be quick!”

But when the little girl gave the rich man her mother’s message, he said, “No, no, my child. It was no mistake. I put silver pieces into the smallest loaf to reward you because you are a kind and honest girl. Go home and the money is yours now.”

4 . Imagine a world where you move around in front of a personal computer in your own sound space. You listen to your, favorite songs, play loud computer games or watch a movie - all without other people hearing the sound. That is the possibility presented by "sound beaming,'' a new technology from Noveto Systems, an Israeli company.

On Friday, the company debuted (首发) a desktop device that sends sound directly to a listener without the need for headphones or a special receiver. No veto Systems gave The Associated Press (AP) a chance to test its SoundBeamer 1.0 before its debut. The AP's Louise Dixon writes that listening to the device is like something from a science fiction movie. The sound seems so close that it feels like it is inside your cars while also in front, above and behind them.

Noveto expects the device will have many uses. Office workers could listen to music or conference calls without others hearing. People could play a game, a movie or music without waking up others in the same room. Because the device does not use headphones, it is possible to hear other sounds in the room clearly.

The device uses a 3-D technology that finds and follows the ear position of the listener. It sends ultrasonic (超声的) waves to create sound pockets by the user's cars. Sound can be heard in stereo or 3-D. The 3-D method creates sound on all sides of the listener, the company said.

The demo (样本) version of the device included nature videos of birds on a lake, bees flying and a quiet waterway. Most people trying the technology for the first time just say, 'Wow. I really don't believe it. It sounds like a speaker, but no one else can hear it ... it's supporting you and you're in the middle of everything. It's happening around you.”

By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when they move their head. It is also possible to move out of the sound beam's path and hear nothing at all.

While the idea of sound beaming is not new, Noveto was the first to launch the technology. Its chief executive officer Christophe Ramstein said a “smaller" version of the device will be ready for release to consumers next year.

5 . Here’s an idea whose time has come: A flu shot that doesn’t require an actual shot.

For the first time, researchers have tested a flu vaccine patch(疫苗贴) in a human clinical(临床的) and found that it delivered as much protection as a traditional injection（注射）. Doctors and public health experts have high hopes that it will increase the number of people who get immunized(免疫的) against the flu.

Seasonal flu is responsible for up to half a million deaths around the world each year according to the World Health Organization. A team led by Georgia Tech engineer Mark Prausnitz has come up with an alternative method that uses “microneedles”. These tiny neddles on a patch are very small. Yet they’re big enough to hold vaccine for three types of flu.

None of the study volunteers had serious side effects. The group that got patches had mild skin reactions that were not seen in the regular needle group, while the volunteers in the regular needle group were more likely to experience pain. Overall, 70 percent of the volunteers who got vaccine patches said they’d rather use them again than get a traditional flu shot. The study authors declared it a success on all fronts.

The biggest beneficiaries(受益人) could be people in low- and middle- income countries, where flu vaccines are hard to come by. Reducing pain is nice, but other benefits—the patch costs less, is easier to transport, doesn’t reqire refrigeration, can be self-administered and doesn’t cause waste of needles- are even better.

“Microneedle patches have the potential to become ideal candidates for vaccination programs,” wrote Katja Hoschler and Maria Zambon of Public Health England.

6 . Mrs Black lives in a small village. Her husband is dead. Her son, Jack, lived with her. He worked in a shop in the village, but then he found a job in town named Green sea. He went to live there. Mrs Black was very angry. She got on a train and went to see her son. Then she said to him, "Jack, why do you never telephone me?"

Jack laughed, "But, mother, you haven't got a telephone. " "No. "she answered, "I haven't, but you have got one. "

7 . Counseling(咨询)Services

Counseling Services is a place on campus where you can find someone to talk when you're feeling hopeless, lonely, depressed, confused, upset over a relationship, or just anxious. If you or anyone you know has been disturbed by recent events, please come to Counseling Services, which can provide a safe and comfortable environment for all students.

Counseling Services will be closed from Monday. December 21st 2020 through the beginning of Spring Term 2021. But we will continue to provide Tele-health services by phone and email Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. We will be fully closed on the following dates: December 24th. 25th. 30th. 31st. January 1st. 2021.

To make an appointment, call (715) S36-552I during our business hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-12:00 am, 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm. We are open 8:00 am to 6:00 pm on Wednesdays.

In addition to services on phones or on line, you can now check out our Attacking. Anxiety and Depression Workshop Videos, or see what our office is up to on Instagram and Facebook. We have also been collecting COVID-19 specific online resources.

If you want to know more, please click here.

9 . After almost an entire year of not going shopping and vacationing, you find the numbers reflected by your bank account meet your heart’ s desire.

Now the most important question comes, what to do with the earnings? Should you fulfill dreams of the present, invest in preserving the future or perhaps keep saving it for a rainy day?

Our elders always try to teach us the value of money and its moral weakness. One may be on a winning streak (连续成功) now, but it will not always be so. One will have days when there will be no sunshine but only rain, and their luck will hide behind those thick grey clouds. Save for those rainy days, they say. Do not spend too much, live within a budget, refrain from credit no matter how small and save for the future.

Since the very first time we earn our own money from a summer job or earning our first salary, the lessons start. In fact, the pocket money that we receive when we are children begins the process of learning how to best manage one’ s money.

People often think like this — one day when I have enough money, I will travel the world. Then, once we do earn enough money, tomorrow’ s plans start shadowing our present ones. However, is it wise to keep living for that future? Will we still enjoy or even be able to backpack in our 50s? How will we ever enjoy our present if we are constantly living for the future?

Good questions, aren’ t they? I say travel but don’ t let yourself run dry, treat yourself to some luxuries but also keep enough for your necessities, and enjoy your present but with a plan for the foreseeable future. Life is for the living, so live it sensibly.